The Skinny

The Skip Hop Duo Signature is a decent, gender neutral diaper bag that offered two carrying methods: messenger style or briefcase/handbag. Shy on the bells and whistles, this bag can, for the most part, hold what you need and keep it decently organized. While not one of our favorites, we think the Duo is a good bag and many other verified buyers online agree.

Our Analysis and Hands-on Test Results

Review by:
Natalie Hale & Juliet Spurrier, MD

Last Updated:
Friday
July 1, 2016

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We like the Skip Hop Duo Signature. There is no hiding what it is, which is not a problem unless you are looking for a bag that does not resemble the classic look of a diaper bag. It does not have a lot to offer in terms of extras, but the necessities are there.

Performance Comparison

The Skip Hop Duo Signature fit everything we wanted it to carry but it was tight! We managed to cram just about everything we needed into the main pocket, as it is the only truly "secure" compartment in the bag. It was a little tricky to keep organized but it worked.

Storage and Ease of Use

We awarded the Skip Hop a score of 5 of 10 for Storage/Ease of Use. It was one of the smallest bags we tested and we found the bag quickly filled once we packed all the items we deemed necessary for a successful outing. It has little in terms of bells and whistles but it does include a small changing pad (sized OK for infants, toddlers will not fit). There is no insulated pocket for a bottle but there are two exterior side pockets suitable for this purpose.

The internal pockets were helpful with keeping things organized, however, the front external magnet-close pockets were not as useful. We found ourselves only trusting those pockets to carry dispensable items such as snacks because the magnets just could not keep the tops closed in order to contain the contents. On a more positive note, we like how easy it was to clean the materials with a damp cloth.

Comfort

One of the lighter bags we tested, the Duo was easy to carry and could easily switch from being carried over the shoulder as a messenger bag to a hand-held briefcase which is why we awarded it a score of 6 of 10 in this category. Our primary complaint when it came to carrying the bag was how tall it was. We found this extra height lends it to being carried in an somewhat awkward/uncomfortable manner.

Quality

One of the two exterior water bottle pockets on the Skip Hop Duo Signature. It was the perfect size for our shorter water bottle. Taller bottles will have trouble being secured against tipping out.

We found the quality of the materials used on this bag to be decent, so we awarded it a score of 6 of 10 here. The mesh on the side pockets is not very thick and will likely wear out over time. It has plastic clips for the messenger strap and stroller straps which tend to break more quickly than their metal counterparts. Thankfully, we did not encounter any issues with the zippers.

Style

The Duo is an OK looking bag and we awarded it a score of 5 of 10 for style. It definitely looks more like a traditional diaper bag but the grey coloring does a good job of keeping it classy at least. Dads we surveyed thought the bag was OK, but when ranked, preferred almost every other bag with the exception of the Diaper Dude Original Messenger.

Best Applications

We found this to be a good bag for parenting duos that only want to have one diaper bag between them. It is gender neutral enough that we think you can get away with it and keep everybody happy.

Value

The Skip Hop Duo is a nice bag for a decent price. What it has to offer in terms of value is on par with other bags at the same price. Plus the Skip Hop warranty is unbeatable: a whopping 10 years against manufacturing defects.

Conclusion

When compared to its counterparts in our testing, we think you get more for the same price (or slightly more), which is worth it. We would encourage dads to also take a look at the Obersee Rio and our award winner for best value the Boken Every Day Bag.

Other Versions and Accessories

Skip Hop offers this bag in ten other colors and patterns. They also offer a matching "Pronto Changing Station" and "Go Wet/Dry Diaper Bag" for purchase separately.

Video

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Natalie Hale & Juliet Spurrier, MD

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